Abstract
This paper presents a summary of results from a 2012
survey that investigated feeding and housing management
regimens currently adopted by dairy farmers in
Britain. Responses from 863 farms provide a snapshot
of dairy industry structure and a description of the
range of management systems currently in operation.
Outcomes highlight a diversity of management practices,
showing that 31% of farms maintained a traditional
grazing system with no forage feeding indoors during
the summer, whereas 38% of farmers indicated that
all their milking cows received some feeding indoors
during the summer. A system of housing dairy cows
for 24 h/d while they are lactating was implemented
by 8% of farms, whereas 1% of farms did not house
their cows at any time of the year. Statistical analyses
were carried out on 3 distinct groups identified from
survey responses: (1) farmers who did not undertake
any indoor feeding during the summer; (2) farmers who
fed all their milking cows indoors during the summer;
and (3) farmers who continuously housed their cows
for 24 h/d while lactating. Results showed a significant
relationship between management type and herd size,
and between management type and breed type; on average,
herd sizes were larger within systems that feed
indoors. No significant relationship was found between
management type and farm location when classified by
estimated grassland productivity. The results indicate
that traditional all-summer grazing is no longer the
predominant system adopted by dairy farmers and that
other systems such as all-year-round indoor feeding
and continuous housing are becoming more prevalent
in Britain.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 7985 - 7994 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Journal of Dairy Science |
Volume | 97 |
Issue number | 12 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | First published - 2014 |
Bibliographical note
20470521023395
Keywords
- Confinement
- Dairy
- Management system